Even as COVID-19 vaccines and free testing for those without symptoms begin to arrive, the state is watching a dramatic increase in numbers.
From Friday to Sunday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a press briefing Monday, the statewide positivity rate jumped from 5.9 to 8.3 percent.
That’s statistically improbable, Governor Cuomo said, and possibly skewed by fewer people getting tested for travel—and more because they had actual symptoms.
“But we don’t know and we’ll see what the numbers says over the next few days,” he said, noting there were similar upticks across the country.
In Schoharie County, 516 people had tested positive for COVID as of Monday, an increase of nine from Sunday and an increase of 90 from the previous Sunday, December 20.
The state is also reporting a total of five COVID deaths in the county since March, including one Sunday.
Regionally, the Mohawk Valley had the state’s highest positivity rate over the last three days, 9.26 percent, calling it, along with the Finger Lakes and Capital Region “places we have to focus on, and places frankly, that have to focus on themselves.”
It’s not all bad news though.
Not by a long shot, said Amy Gildemeister, the county’s public Health director.
Cobleskill Regional Hospital began vaccinating people listed as part of the first phase of the state’s priority list, which includes health care and EMS workers, funeral workers, and people working in nursing homes and other care facilities, last Wednesday.
“Finally, it’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” Dr. Gildemeister said. “It’s wonderful.”
Bill Federice, chairman of the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors, said he’s also thrilled to see the vaccine making its way here—if frustrated by the process.
The state asked counties to draft their own strategies for distributing and administering vaccines, Mr. Federice said—and then overrode them with its own plan before revising that plan not once, but twice.
”It’s like they don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. “Our Health Department had people working all weekend…”
Mr. Federice also criticized the lack of testing in the county for those without symptoms, something that began being addressed by the Bassett Healthcare Network yesterday with three hours of appointments in Sharon Springs and today, Wednesday, in Cobleskill and Middleburgh.
Appointments were required the day before—Monday for Tuesday’s appointments--too late for anyone to publicize, Mr. Federice said.
“I got the email at 11:15am Monday. When were you supposed to call for the first appointments? Monday. It’s like they’re trying to not make it work. And people will blame the county. It’s just terrible.”
Getting local testing for those without symptoms was a struggle in itself, Mr. Federice said; residents here were being sent to SUNY Albany for the free tests with the few slots available at CVS Cobleskill falling short of demand.
“I had to force this through the Control Room,” Mr. Federice said. “Bassett was reluctant to do it. I had to get the state Department of Health to convince them. And I understand it will just be a trial run.
“I know we’re rural. I know we’re small. But that doesn’t mean we should be ignored. It’s like Bassett doesn’t know its own communities.”
According to Governor Cuomo, 140,000 people statewide had already received the first dose of the vaccine as of Monday with another 259,000 doses expected this week.
The state hasn’t yet released guidelines on who’ll be eligible for the vaccine after that.